The present invention relates generally to infrared detector devices, and in particular to such a detector utilizing a completely submersed Schottky barrier junction.
When a metal is brought into intimate contact with a semiconductor surface, the resulting metallic semiconductor surface exhibits current rectifying characteristics. Such an interface is commonly referred to as a Schottky barrier device and acts in a similar fashion to a p-n semiconductor junction. Such Schottky barrier devices are well known and have been extensively reported and utilized.
It is also known to build up an array of Schottky barrier devices for infrared sensing, and combining the array with a charge coupled diode readout system for achieving an infrared camara device vidicon system. Such a Schottky diode array is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,902,066, issued to Sven A. Roosild et al. on Aug. 26, 1975.
Present Schottky infrared charge coupled diode (IRCCD) arrays have low quantum efficiencies (sensitivities) thus limiting their applications for certain thermal imaging scenarios.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an improved Schottky IRCCD device of improved sensitivity and quantum efficiency.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a method for manufacturing such a device.